Is it possible to be a curriculum junkie/addict?

[happycc]

I have always wondered about this possibility. I get so excited hearing about a new curriculum and want to research it to death. Then maybe buy it if it is a good match. We have some curriculum here at the house. I use them, not all at the same time, some not at all.

 

What about the rest of you? What makes it worse? How to cure it? Should it be cured?

[jakesask]

Yes, I think it certainly is possible. I find all the different programs, particularly for language arts, very exciting. :001_smile: "OH! Look at this!! Now, this is PERFECT!!!" I spend a lot of time mulling over science and math programs too. And recently I've become fascinated with Oak Meadow Kindergarten, when I know I don't really need it at all.

 

I read some very good advice in another thread: never buy any program more than a month in advance of when you intend to use it, because you will change your mind a dozen times in the meantime. I've followed that rule when facing several purchase urges.

 

I have a list of "ultimate goals" for each subject, and when I start to feel seduced by a certain program, I go back and look at those goals. Is this new program going to help me to reach those goals? Will it do it any better than something else cheaper, or any better than my own self-built program? Or will it re-orient my plans and lead me off into terrain that doesn't support my goals at all?

[FairyMom]

Well, I deleted my account here after two years because of said "problem." :lol: I'm much more settled now and use what I have and love. I keep going back to the same products I have used and loved over the last three years, so as of now, I just peek. ;)

[Jane Elliot]

I have always wondered about this possibility. I get so excited hearing about a new curriculum and want to research it to death. Then maybe buy it if it is a good match. We have some curriculum here at the house. I use them, not all at the same time, some not at all.

 

What about the rest of you? What makes it worse? How to cure it? Should it be cured?

 

I'm sure it's possible, but I see no reason to cure it unless it's breaking your budget, causing tension in your marriage, or taking up all your space. And that last one is negotiable.

[butterflymommy]

When we took the kids out of school I kept justifying purchasing curriculum because it was still so much cheaper than tuition. But I did find myself thinking... "This isn't working, let's go find something else that does work," and then spending the big bucks instead of just working with what we had on hand.

 

I think the public schools suffer from this to an extent as well. There's always some hot new method of reading, of teaching math, etc., and textbooks are constantly being changed (at huge expense, some contracts are for millions of dollars)... yet student performance hasn't really improved over the years, in fact it's diminished.

 

Right now, when I get the urge to try a new curriculum I stop myself and ask if there is some way we can make do with what we have, or supplement from the library.

[delaney]

Yes, yes, and yes:D. I have a problem with buying curriculum. They would homeschool until they were 25 if I got everything done that I wanted! I LOVE TOG, Oak Meadow, Living Books, Charlotte Mason......see the problem? I find I am planning too much and beating my head against the wall looking for the perfect fit. I think I have it down now and will be starting up TOG for oldest DD again and doing CM for the youngers. Older just is NOT a book centered, narration learner. She likes to be lead through stuff more so lecturing from TOG notes will be it for her. TOG is just so pretty......like OM....and LBC.....:auto:

[ErinE]

A friend told me to know yourself and know your child before buying curriculum. Then, commit yourself to one year. Unless it's an absolute mistake, know you can try something new next year. I did research math curriculum a lot before buying because I didn't want to hop around.

 

But I am always looking for the next big thing. Perhaps I could buy AoPS for myself before ds needs it....

[justLisa]

I think it is ok so long as it does not take away from the time you have to actually impliment said curricula. SOmetimes too many methods can butt heads, at least for me. Sometimes I just stay away from too many reviews or endless searching UNLESS something is just not working in a big way.

 

I use several sources, but have found a fluent way to do so, so yes, I love having different ways to stretch ones knowledge on a subject.

[Tarreymere]

It isn't my fault! I blame the rest of you......I'm happy with what I have until one of you just has to mention something I haven't heard of, and of course out of curiosity I have to look it up and .........:w00t:

 

It's YOUR fault, Hive.

[FairyMom]

It isn't my fault! I blame the rest of you......I'm happy with what I have until one of you just has to mention something I haven't heard of, and of course out of curiosity I have to look it up and .........:w00t:

 

It's YOUR fault, Hive.

 

:iagree: :smilielol5: :grouphug:

[KristenR]

hehehe Guilty as charged. :glare:

In fact I wrote a blog post about it earlier this year. I just pulled it up and reread it. Funny- half a year later and I am still a sucker for educational resource. :tongue_smilie:

[HappyLady]

Wow! I was JUST thinking about this today!! I'm not even HSing my children yet (as they're only almost 4 and 14 months), but I'm trying to get a feel for different curricula and to find one I think will work best for us. I've purchased about 10 different items from various sources and every time that I do I get so excited! I don't want to know what it will be like when I actually start USING anything! :blink::blink::eek::eek:

[5Wizards]

I'm sure it's possible, but I see no reason to cure it unless it's breaking your budget, causing tension in your marriage, or taking up all your space. And that last one is negotiable.

 

I agree, especially with the last point. :tongue_smilie:

[boscopup]

Well, sometimes it HAS helped me find a better curriculum fit. Sometimes what we had worked ok, but what we switched to (based on a LOT of research here at the Hive and elsewhere) have worked out even better. Sometimes the grass IS greener, and sometimes it's not.

 

I've changed curriculum mid-year in various subjects and never had a problem doing so, BUT I evaluate some things before I switch:

 

1) Will this put my child behind current grade level?

 

2) Will this change benefit us (better teaching style for me, better learning style for DS, streamlining our homeschool, whatever)?

 

3) Is it better to change now or wait until the end of the year? (if you're going to change math programs, for example, it might be better to change sooner rather than later, especially if there is a scope and sequence difference)

 

I've had some subjects where I changed a few times within a few months before finding what we'd settle on for the year. I've had other subjects where what we are doing is fine, but I'll change next year. Basically, I weigh the pros and cons of switching curriculum now vs. later.

 

Where being a curriculum junkie can be bad is if you are changing curriculum so much that your child isn't progressing in that subject.

[Mrs Twain]

Also guilty as charged!

Instead of switching programs (especially mid-year), I tend to add in supplements to make my program better. Reading on this forum has given me great resources which I don't think I would have found anywhere else. I think being a curriculum junkie can be a good thing as long as you don't go crazy buying too many programs or switching all the time.

 

Another thing I do is keep a running list of resources I am interested in incorporating next year. I have a Word document on my computer for this purpose, and each time I find something *amazing*, I add it to my list. Often, when I look back over my list a few months later, that thing that I thought was so amazing doesn't seem so amazing any longer. This method helps me not push the Confirm Order button too much.

[caedmyn]

I have a problem with this too. Only I don't buy much, just waste a lot of time researching things to death trying to figure out which program will be perfect. I've got just about everything I think I want for next year and I'm going to try to STAY OFF the forum here so I'm not tempted to find more stuff to look at!

 

In my case though it's more of an obsession with whatever my current interest is--I've gone through phases in the last few years of being totally obsessed with baby carriers, diaper bags, and cloth diapers...this one will just last past the baby stage unlike the others.

[morosophe]

To add to this beautiful list, here's the question I have to ask myself before switching curricula:

 

Am I using what I have now at all? If I'm not, is it the fault of the curriculum or a fault of mine? If it's a fault of mine, will the new curriculum have the same problems?

 

I switched composition from Sonlight's LA to WWE last year, because half of Sonlight (the part that was actually composition instead of copywork) I wasn't using at all. The switch definitely helped us get back on track as far as LA went.

 

I switched art programs from Artistic Pursuits to Scott Foresman Art, Grade 1, but it turns out the reason we don't do art is that I just never get around to it. The Draw Write Now materials I got for my son are as close to art instruction as he's actually going to get this year, it looks like. Whoops!

 

(Then again, he gets his piano lesson promptly every week. He's pretty good at piano, too. But it's because someone else is teaching him!)

 

Well, sometimes it HAS helped me find a better curriculum fit. Sometimes what we had worked ok, but what we switched to (based on a LOT of research here at the Hive and elsewhere) have worked out even better. Sometimes the grass IS greener, and sometimes it's not.

 

I've changed curriculum mid-year in various subjects and never had a problem doing so, BUT I evaluate some things before I switch:

 

1) Will this put my child behind current grade level?

 

2) Will this change benefit us (better teaching style for me, better learning style for DS, streamlining our homeschool, whatever)?

 

3) Is it better to change now or wait until the end of the year? (if you're going to change math programs, for example, it might be better to change sooner rather than later, especially if there is a scope and sequence difference)

 

I've had some subjects where I changed a few times within a few months before finding what we'd settle on for the year. I've had other subjects where what we are doing is fine, but I'll change next year. Basically, I weigh the pros and cons of switching curriculum now vs. later.

 

Where being a curriculum junkie can be bad is if you are changing curriculum so much that your child isn't progressing in that subject.

[Mama2Many4]

I'm definitely afflicted by this. I'm always on the lookout for the next "perfect" thing. I really need to stay away from this particular board, but I'm always looking.

[Zebra]

Absolutely NOT! I can quit any time.......:lol::lol::lol:;)!

[boscopup]

In my case though it's more of an obsession with whatever my current interest is--I've gone through phases in the last few years of being totally obsessed with baby carriers, diaper bags, and cloth diapers...this one will just last past the baby stage unlike the others.

 

BTDT... And hey, it taught me to sew much better, learning how to sew baby carriers and cloth diapers (and I did sew a couple diaper bags too :D).

 

The Draw Write Now materials I got for my son are as close to art instruction as he's actually going to get this year, it looks like. Whoops!

 

Right there with ya also! :lol: I finally realized that I just don't like art, and none of my kids are gung ho about art or specifically talented in art, so I'm just doing "art" by letting them draw things on their own and occasionally doing Draw Write Now. We'll get our "artistic instruction" via music, since DH and I are both avid musicians. Neither of us are or ever were into visual arts. We're getting a piano for Christmas, and I can't wait to get the boys started on that!

[DragonFaerie]

My name is Shawn and I am addicted to curriculum. :D My children will one day rebel and run away from home because their school day has become fifteen hours long in order to complete all of the FABULOUS finds I have purchased.

[melissel]

Absolutely NOT! I can quit any time.......:lol:;)!

 

My name is Shawn and I am addicted to curriculum. :D My children will one day rebel and run away from home because their school day has become fifteen hours long in order to complete all of the FABULOUS finds I have purchased.

 

:lol: So true!

 

Yes, I think many of us here are, have been, or will at some point BE curriculum junkies :D I know I have been, and I have to curb myself to keep from buying unnecessarily. What finally stopped me was realizing that in spite of all the different materials I kept testing out, what actually WORKED for us was WTM-based! I kept ending up back at SWB's products or strong recommendations, and most of those are in a progression, so now I'm in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mode :lol:

 

I will admit, however, that I may have transferred some of my curriculum junkie tendencies over to my educational/general parenting research bent. I just spent $100 at PHP on audio lectures and two of Susan's adult history books, and I currently have no fewer than 6 books out from the library about parenting, motivating learners, building resiliency, etc. :blush: So, um, yeah...maybe I'm more like the PP who said that her obsessions tend to just shift around :tongue_smilie:

[Alison in KY]

I've definitely been in that league. However, over time I've mostly figured out what I will like, what my kids will like, and what I'm willing to do. I now will not buy things that look absolutely awesome, but that I know they are more likely to sit around on a shelf. I am a bit wiser, a bit pickier, and more frugal now. I've also bought, sold, and re-bought the same curriculum before. Now I know to never say never :).

 

Alison

[AnointedHsMom]

:leaving:

 

 

But I am now finally set on our core. A few different subjects are open for research and changes but the core stays the same now.

[nansk]

:) I am proof that it is possible to become a curriculum junkie even with just one student at home.

[TheAutumnOak]

To add to this beautiful list, here's the question I have to ask myself before switching curricula:

 

Am I using what I have now at all? If I'm not, is it the fault of the curriculum or a fault of mine? If it's a fault of mine, will the new curriculum have the same problems?

 

 

Very good point...

[awisha.]

Absolutely NOT! I can quit any time.......:lol::lol::lol:;)!

 

:iagree: :lol:

 

My DH keeps saying to me "I thought homeschooling was going to be cheaper than public school?" :blush:

 

Gosh I love the Hive, but you guys are going to send me broke one day!!! :D

[TeaCookiesBears]

I don't plan my days, but where I do a lot of heavy planning is in the books I choose. So I do research them to death beforehand. There are very few books I haven't ended up using.

 

:iagree: That is me all the way. I have a rough draft for dd's to 12th grade

[TGHEALTHYMOM]

I have struggled with this for a long time, and had good years and not so good. I too have learned about new curriculum here and was dropping Sonlight because of my large family, and it not being easy to use, not pleased with the writing after using IEW, FLL, and Draw Write Now earlier.

 

I used Saxon until a full year of tears, then switched to TT for 1 child, all the others are ok with Saxon, so we have used books and re use them.

I was drawn to Sonlight for lesson plans due to my bad health, and always being curious if it was worth the money. It may be for some, but not for us. I tried to use it, but couldn't do much and it is so huge it overwhelmed me.

 

I have struggled with the past 12 months of having extreme pain, surgery, and now a rough pregnancy. SO I am trying to sell most of the Sonlight materials, and some Charlotte Mason style books that I have never used. I like the concepts of Sonlight and CM, but the Classical approach is still at my core. SO, I am very glad I found out about TOG and Easy Classical, going with Easy Classical right now and still researching TOG to see if it would work ( And it is nice that they discuss on here the likes, dislikes, problems, and solutions) I appreciate the Q: A:

:grouphug: I admit I was using CC materials and am wondering if I still should. I think I will one day a week for our younger ones, just not so intense. ;)

 

 

I want to do more lessons, reading, experiments, and PE with all of our kids, and I love the Easy Classical schedule that is helping with that.

We had 8 years of struggle losing my dad to leukemia, and spent as much time with him at our house, his house, church, and the hospital, knowing we would not regret any time lost due to scheduling. It was still stressful, and still is at times not having him around.

__Training Hearts_ Teaching Minds is helping me to get perspective now as well.

[Donna]

I have admitted my problem...I am a curriculum addict...and have not purchased a new curriculum in...well, at least a couple months.

[Hunter]

I am a book junkie as much as a curriculum junkie. It is the one area I allow myself to hoard. Since the divorce, I live in a major city in a high-rise efficiency apartment with the walls lined with cheap Walmart bookcases full of books.

 

My furniture is nothing but a few folding tables and chairs, and piece of foam rubber on the floor to sleep on, but it's a cute, warm, trendy, welcoming place where everything is new, matches and is clean. It kind of looks like a cross between an artist's loft and a trendy European preschool.

 

I don't even know how many phonics and spelling curricula I have. It is certainly overkill for an adult who wants to remediate her spelling. I just get curious about what they say and how they work, so...I buy them.

 

I tutor a bit, yes. And people use my stash instead of going to the public library, because often my stuff is better. Someday maybe my grandkids will benefit from some of this stuff. But mostly this is all for me and how I self-soothe. Sitting in the middle of floor, surrounded by several curricula seeking to make sense, compare, contrast, synthesize it all, soothes me. It just does. It's cheaper than hospital visits when my ever present Post Traumatic Symptoms are out of control--which is basically ALL the time :-0 And it remediates the brain loss I'm experiencing from the seizures. When I lost the ability to divide and forgot what a castle is, I took care of the problem myself instead of seeking services that would have cost the taxpayers far more money that what than my few books have cost.

 

When I was homeschooling my boys, I didn't have to USE something with them, to justify it's purchase. I strongly believe in teacher education, and then teaching on the fly while interest is high. My best teaching moments were when I was properly prepared to just TALK to them about what I had previously read in my own studies.

 

A well stocked home library is a luxury, sometimes the only luxury some of us have. And if it is not negatively impacting your life and is not disempowering you or others in some way, then it's all good.

[joni470]

I compare this addiction to the purchasing of organizational boxes when what we really need to do is get busy cleaning out the closet. In the case of the home school mother, we need to get busy figuring out what our children need to learn, how to make it palatable, help them through the frustration that comes with something challenging, and quit purchasing the next best curriculum.

[boscopup]

I compare this addiction to the purchasing of organizational boxes when what we really need to do is get busy cleaning out the closet. In the case of the home school mother, we need to get busy figuring out what our children need to learn, how to make it palatable, help them through the frustration that comes with something challenging, and quit purchasing the next best curriculum.

 

I've actually never switched curriculum because something was too challenging (many times it's been quite the opposite!). There are many reasons to switch curriculum. Sometimes, I'm bored and just need a change, as does my son. It's totally fine! As long as there is a good sequence of skills being taught, it doesn't matter if it's with one curriculum or 5. The end result is what is important. :)

 

I'm really glad I've purchased multiple curricula for some subjects. It's helped me figure out what works best for my child. Sometimes, the only way to learn what type of child you have is to try something and see if it works.

 

We switched math midstream this year. Gasp! It was a good switch. I had been looking at what we were switching to for a long time, and I finally decided that it would likely fit DS better. He was getting bored with what we were using, as the presentation was lacking (it's an excellent curriculum - DS just needed different scenery). My son wasn't having a problem with what we were using in the sense of learning. He was breezing through it, actually. I realized that it was more incremental than he needs. I looked at the scope and sequence of both math programs and determined that after the first section of 4B of one program, we could move into the other program at 4A, skipping a few things that were redundant. We're going to be in 4B in a couple weeks. Did it set us back a tiny bit? Yes. But that doesn't matter, since the child is well ahead of his grade level anyway, and slowing him down a bit is not a bad thing. ;) Oh, and we're only planning to do 2 levels of the new program, then switch back to the old program for some highlights in level 6. I'm ok with that too. I'm making sure that the necessary material is covered. What math program I use doesn't really matter, as long as I'm teaching him what he needs before going into algebra.